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What are ALPRs?

What automated license plate readers collect, how the information can be used, and why people are concerned.

Please look into it yourself

Read from different sources and reach your own opinion.

This page is a starting point. Check the links, read other viewpoints, and ask council members, the mayor, the police chief, and other elected officials questions.

Be prepared to follow up. Questions about Flock have been sent to Fairfax elected officials for months. As of September 24, 2026, no direct responses to those questions had been received. Information obtained so far came through public-records requests.

See Fairfax officials’ public contact information →

About this page

The information below comes from DeFlock’s “What are ALPRs?” guide (opens in a new tab). The original guide has more detail and source links.

What they collect

DeFlock describes ALPRs as “AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles.”

They can store the location, date, and time of a vehicle sighting along with the plate, make, model, color, and visible details such as dents, roof racks, or bumper stickers. Those details can become searchable data points.

The cameras collect first, whether or not the driver is suspected of a crime. Police and other approved users can search the collected information later.

What can an ALPR collect?

License plateVehicle imageDate and timeCamera locationMake, model, and colorDents, racks, stickers, and other details

What do they look like?

ALPRs come in several shapes and sizes. DeFlock maintains a visual guide to help people recognize common camera models.

View DeFlock’s camera identification guide → (opens in a new tab)

Why should people be concerned?

DeFlock’s guide raises these concerns.

Research on ALPRs and overall crime is limited

Research has not established that ALPRs reduce a community’s overall crime rate. ALPRs may assist with particular investigations, but that is a different question. Look for independent studies, clear definitions, and results that distinguish investigative use from changes in overall crime.

ALPRs are a major security risk

A system that stores large amounts of location data creates a valuable target. Security depends on the roadside hardware, company software, cloud services, agency accounts, and every organization allowed to search the network.

ALPRs are dragnet surveillance

The cameras scan ordinary drivers first and make the information searchable later. Collection is not limited to vehicles connected to a crime or an active investigation.

ALPRs are abused

Searchable location databases can be used for purposes residents never agreed to. Access rules, audit logs, and discipline matter because misuse can come from authorized accounts as well as outside attackers.

ALPR use can lead to dangerous police encounters

A bad plate read, an outdated alert, or a mistake in a database can point officers toward the wrong vehicle. The driver may have no idea why police believe the vehicle is a match.

Frequently asked questions

Are ALPRs a necessary tool for police?

Police have many investigative tools. Whether ALPRs are necessary should be judged with independent evidence, clear limits, public debate, and an honest comparison with less intrusive options.

Why should I care if I have nothing to hide?

A location history can reveal where someone lives, works, worships, receives medical care, attends meetings, or spends time with other people. Privacy is about control over personal information, not hiding wrongdoing.

Do these cameras only record vehicles involved in crimes?

No. ALPR cameras scan passing traffic. A vehicle does not have to be connected to a crime before its plate, image, time, and location are collected.

Do police need a warrant to search these cameras?

Often they do not. The legal rules can depend on the jurisdiction, the search, the length of time involved, and how the information was obtained or shared.

What oversight is there for these systems?

Oversight varies widely. Useful safeguards include public policies, strict access limits, regular audits, meaningful penalties for misuse, short retention periods, and public approval before the system expands.

Do Flock transparency portals show everyone who can access the data?

Not necessarily. A portal can be useful, but it may not show every indirect search, temporary connection, outside request, export, or change over time. It should be treated as one source of information, not the whole picture.

Can Flock be trusted to keep the data safe?

No technology company can promise zero risk. Residents should look at documented security issues, how much information is collected, who can reach it, how long it stays available, and what happens when something goes wrong.

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